# Al Michaels references to Donald Trump on NFL broadcasts

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/al-michaels-references-to-donald-trump-on-nfl-broadcasts
> Updated: 2026-09-18T19:00:51.000Z. Sources: 14. Developments: 2.

During NFL preseason and regular season broadcasts of Thursday Night Football, announcer Al Michaels made several references to Donald Trump.

In late August, Michaels made a satirical comment regarding a reported proposal by the president to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’. While broadcasting near Lake Erie, he remarked, ‘We think it is still called Lake Erie — we’re not quite sure at this point. But we’ll be by Lake something like Ontario or whatever it’s going to be called by the time we get to Buffalo.’

In mid-September, Michaels referenced Trump’s unsuccessful 2014 bid to purchase the Buffalo Bills. He recounted the franchise sale history, quoting Trump as having stated, ‘I’m gonna write a cashier’s check for a billion dollars,’ before noting that the league ultimately selected Terry Pegula.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-18: Al Michaels references Donald Trump’s failed Buffalo Bills bid

Announcer Al Michaels referenced Donald Trump’s failed 2014 bid to purchase the Buffalo Bills during a Thursday Night Football broadcast.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/al-michaels-references-donald-trumps-failed-buffalo-bills-bid

### 2026-08-28: Al Michaels jokes about Trump’s lake-renaming proposal during NFL broadcast

NFL announcer Al Michaels used a Thursday Night Football broadcast to joke about Donald Trump’s reported plan to rename Lake Ontario, referencing the president’s tension with Canada.

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/al-michaels-jokes-about-trumps-lake-renaming-proposal-during-nfl-broadcast

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Cite as: Al Michaels references to Donald Trump on NFL broadcasts. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/al-michaels-references-to-donald-trump-on-nfl-broadcasts